Transcript
Walking the Old Paths, Episode 6 transcript
Welcome to the Walking the Old Paths podcast. I’m JP, your host on this journey through the Bible. Each week we embark on a systematic study of the scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. In today’s episode, we’ll be discussing the three steps of Bible study and talk about how to properly apply Bible study to our lives through the application principle.
Welcome back to another episode of the Walking the Old Paths podcast. If you are just joining us, we have been gathering up the tools that we need for our journey on the old paths of Scripture, tools that will help aid us in properly interpreting the Bible.
In episodes two and three, we learned about the dispensational principle, the principle whereby God deals with man in a particular way during a particular time.
The dispensational principle is a powerful tool that helps us rightly divide the word of truth, so we know how things fit together and how we can properly apply the Bible to our lives.
In episode four, we learn about the context principle, that principle whereby God gives light to a text through the surrounding texts or through remote texts that have the same theme.
The context principle is an indispensable principle that we need to pack on our journey through the Bible. In our last episode, we learned about the mention principles the first mention principle, the progressive mention principle, and the full mention principle. These mention principles will be a great resource to us as we walk through the scriptures. If you have missed any of these episodes, you can go back at any time and listen to them at walkingtheoldpaths.com, then catch up to us as we walk together in God’s Holy Word.
You might be asking, JP, why are you teaching us all these principles for interpreting the Bible? Well, today we are going to be putting it all together so we can see the goal in all Bible study. The goal of all Bible study is to apply it to one’s life. Personal application should always be our focus in studying the Bible.
But before we can properly apply the Bible to our lives, we need to know the meaning of what is being said. Before we can have an application, we need to have a proper interpretation. Otherwise we risk to coming to wrong conclusions.
Now there are three steps that we take in Bible study. They are observation, interpretation and application.
Now in observation, we ask what does the text say? In interpretation we ask what does the text mean? In an application we ask how does it apply to me?
The first step of observation gives context to what we are studying. Additionally, it slows us down to discover the details in a passage. When we observe a text to see what it says, we look for different things at the sentence level, the paragraph level, and the discourse level.
At the sentence level, make note of repetition of words, contrasts, comparisons, lists, cause and effect, figures of speech, conjunctions, verbs and pronouns. If you like a challenge, make as many observations as you can on Acts 1:8. Try to do ten. If you find that easy. Do 20. And if you really want to push yourself, shoot for 30 observations on that one verse.
It can be done if you really put your mind to it and is a very rewarding exercise. Shoot me an email. Let me know how many you get. At JPManson@WalkingtheOld Paths.com.
Next, when you are making observations at the paragraph level, look for things like: general to specific and specific to general statements; questions and answers; dialog; purpose and results statements; conditional clauses; actions and roles of individuals; actions and role of God; and emotional terms and tone of the passage.
And at the discourse level, you will look for story shifts, inner changes, which is a literary device that involves contrasting or comparing two stories at the same time as part of the overall story development.
Now, these usually move back and forth from one story to the other, and there’s also inclusios, which is when a passage opens and closes with similar statements or events.
All right, you’ve made your observations. Now it’s time to move on to the next step: interpretation. This is what we’ve been studying over these last four weeks. It is the most difficult of the steps and is the most time-consuming.
Cutting this out of our steps can lead to serious errors and faulty outcomes in the final application.
The third step is application, and there are two errors that Christians typically make in regard to this step. Now the first one is to skip the application step altogether. Some feel that it is enough that we merely come to a proper interpretation of the Word of God. But that makes Bible study merely an academic exercise without any profit to our soul.
The second error that we can make is to give too much attention to application without ever coming to a proper interpretation first, resulting in mishandling and misapplying the Bible.
I mentioned in an earlier episode, the most dangerous type of Bible study one can be in is where the leader goes around the room and asks everyone, “Now what does this mean to you?” Without coming to the correct interpretation of a text or passage, the resulting applications will be confusing and even contradicting.
Which brings us to this week’s principle, the application principle. Now this principle states that an application of truth may only be made once we have come to the correct interpretation of a text.
All that we have been studying so far is to aid us in coming to a correct interpretation of Scripture. That we may then come to a proper application which is, as we said, the goal of all Bible study.
The following are some questions that will help us in our execution of the application principle. There are eight questions that I wrote down here.
Number one, why did God include this text, chapter or book in the Bible?
Number two, what did God intend for the original audience to learn or apply from the text?
Three, is there any commonality between the original audience and us today?
Four when we apply the dispensational principle, is there a difference between the original audience versus us today?
Number five is what is being spoken about normal throughout Scripture or is it in an isolated incident? An example of this would be Paul’s trip to the third heaven in 2 Corinthians chapter 12.
Number six, what principles are inherent in the text?
Number seven is that principle found elsewhere in Scripture?
And finally, eight is that principle consistent with the whole of Scripture?
Now, once we have asked these important questions and have applied our tools of interpretation, we can now draw applications from the text.
Let’s take a passage of Scripture and see how this works out practically. I have been teaching through 1 Samuel on Sunday mornings and recently taught on 1 Samuel 15. We’re going to use this chapter as an example.
There is a lot that we could dig into in this chapter. It is loaded with such wonderful depth, such as God’s remembrance of sin and delayed judgment. The contrast of the Amalekites versus the Kenites. The contrast of man’s repentance versus God’s repentance. Samuel’s soft heart for Saul. Saul’s motive for worship. The relationship of the fear of man and disobedience. Or we could do a word study on sin and transgression.
But for the purpose of this example, we are focusing on God’s command to Saul and Saul’s disobedience to that command. We will just have to wait until we come to 1 Samuel chapter 15, in our journey on the old paths to explore all the wealth of treasure in this one chapter.
Okay, let’s take a look here in 1 Samuel chapter 15. We’re going to make some observations first of all. Now before we even get into 15, if you go back into chapter 14 and verse 48, we will see that Saul had been fighting against the enemies of Israel on every side, including the Amalekites, who had been plundering Israel.
In chapter 15, now we’re going to see Samuel is sent by God with a command to go and utterly destroy Amalek and all that they have. And I’ll read here “Samuel also said unto Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all [that] they have, and spare them not;” now notice this, just so Saul doesn’t miss the point of what he said, he clarifies this: “but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.” [1 Samuel 15:1-3]
I have a teenage son, and sometimes I’ll give him instructions, and then I’ll come back later and he hasn’t obeyed exactly as I had told him. And he’ll say, well, I thought that you meant. Or I thought that you said. Well, this is why I’m pretty sure Samuel had to clarify this. So he goes on to explain it to slay both man and woman, infant, suckling ox, ass, sheep, camel, everything.
Let’s drop down here to verse seven now. In verses seven through nine, Saul smote the Amalekites, but took Agag alive, and the best of the sheep, oxen, fat lings, lamb, and all that was good.
“And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt. And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.”
[1 Samuel 15:7-9]
So we see here that they took they smote the Amalekites. But what did they do?
They took Agag, and they took the best of the sheep and the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs.
Verse ten: “Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying, It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the Lord all night.” [1 Samuel 15:10-11]
God speaks to Samuel here concerning the disobedience of Saul. In verse 12, now we see: “And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal. And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” [1 Samuel 15:12-13]
Now we’re going to see here that Saul three times is going to lie about his obedience and defend himself. And three times Samuel is going to have to call him out on it and rebuke him over it.
“And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed. Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the Lord hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.” [ 1 Samuel 15:14-16]
Samuel, saying, hold right there, stop. I’m going to tell you what the Lord had to say tonight. “And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel?
18 And the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.” [1 Samuel 15:17-18]
He is rehearsing here what God had said to him. “Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord?” [1 Samuel 15:19]
And Saul once again he’s going to defend himself. “And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal.” [1 Samuel 15:20-21]
I can almost hear my teenage son right now saying to me, I thought you said. I thought you meant.
“And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king. And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. [1 Samuel 15:22-24]
Finally, Samuel or Saul admits to his disobedience here only after Samuel has rebuked him and told him that the Lord has rejected him as king.
Okay, let’s answer some of our questions as we seek to find the correct interpretation.
Why did God include this text, chapter, or book in the Bible? In this case, it was to reveal the heart of Saul, reject him as the anointed king and give it to another who is better than him.
This sets the stage for the anointing of David as king in chapter 16
Two: what did God intend for the original audience to learn or apply from the text? God desires obedience from his chosen vessels. Saul’s disobedience was an example that the blessing of God could be taken away and given to another.
Number three is there any commonality between the original audience and us today? And in many ways, yes, there are, but we’ll come more to that here in just a little bit.
Number four, when we apply the dispensational principle, is there a difference between the original audience versus us today? That answer is yes. There are many. To name a few: God does not speak to us or our political leaders through prophets as he did them; God does not appoint rulers through the use of a prophet, as he did then; and the sacrificial system is no longer applicable.
Five, what is being, is what is being spoken about normal throughout Scripture, or is it an isolated incident? And this one is not applicable in this case.
What principles are inherent in the text? Obedience to God’s commands is directly related to his blessing.
Number seven, is that principle found elsewhere in Scripture? Yes, is the answer to that, and we will get to that here in just a second.
And number eight, is that principle consistent with the whole of Scripture? And yes, is our answer.
Okay, after we have made our observations on the text, we applied our tools of interpretation and asked our application principle questions. We now have a good understanding of its original intent. So we can now draw some applications that we can apply to us today.
Right away I see two applications from this passage in regard to obedience that I would like to point out. The first is when the people attacked and killed the Amalekites, they spared the king and they took the best of the sheep and the oxen, fatlings, lamb and all that was good. But that which was vile, and refused, that they destroyed.
Why did they do this? First, they lusted after the best that this world had to the disregard of God. It was easy to be obedient when it was something that was vile or wasting away to them. But when it was something that was to be desired, it became much more difficult to be obedient.
Is there a correlation between what they did and what we are prone to do today? In the New Testament, we are told in first John and chapter two, verses 15 through 17, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” [1 John 2:15-17]
Our application, then, could be that just as Israel was enticed with the best things that the world had to offer, and were led astray from following the commands of the Lord. So too can we Christians be led away by the things of this world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. These things will draw your heart away from God and out of his will.
Then, just so God is clear here, he gives us a stern warning of loving the world. If any man loved the world, the love of the father is not in him.
Now, the second application I would like to draw out here has to do with what Samuel told Saul in verses 22 through and 23, “And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” [1 Samuel 15:22-23]
Now the burnt offerings and sacrifices were something that God had commanded Israel, and it was good, and not to be neglected, but it was the manner in which it was done that made the difference.
Israel disregarded the clear command of God and replaced it with religious pretenses of offering up sacrifices to God. The phrase “for rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry” carries with it the meaning of heathen ritualistic practices that were strictly forbidden by God. God desirest truth in the inward parts, not some ritualistic form of worship.
What Saul was doing was justifying his disobedience. He was easing his conscience by telling himself, these good animals will be a sacrifice unto God. We will give him the best.
Can we draw an application here from this? Is there something we have been commanded to do in this dispensation of the church age that we might be disobeying or easing our conscience by some pious replacement of a direct command?
Christ gave us a standing order before he left this earth to go to the father’s side. Matthew 28 and 18 to 20 it says, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
[Matthew 28:18-20]
In Mark’s Gospel he said it this way “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” [Mark 16:15]
Christ’s standing order to us is to teach all nations, or to preach the gospel to every creature. That is, to share what God has done with everyone, that they too might believe the gospel and be saved, and then that they would go and do the same.
But let me ask you, how many Christians are faithful to this command? Are you? But, JP, I give to foreign missions. I support missionaries. I give to the faith promise offering. Now, don’t misunderstand me. I believe if God has blessed you financially, you ought to give to foreign missions and support missionaries. But Christ’s command was not to give to someone else so they could go and preach the gospel. It was for you and me to go.
But if you are using that as an excuse for not going yourself, then friend, you might as well say these good dollars will be a sacrifice unto God. I will give him my best.
Every Christian should memorize and rehearse these words of Christ. “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” [Luke 6:46]
And in John 14:15, Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
Do you love the Lord Jesus Christ, friend: Then keep his commandments.
Meditate on these things, brethren. Ask God what other things you might be disobeying, or justifying yourself and not following our Lord’s commands.
O my friend, the Word of God is quick and powerful. It is sharper than any two edged sword it pierces even though the dividing asunder of our soul and our spirit, and of our joints and our marrow, and it is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of our heart. [Hebrews 4:12]
This application principle was a little painful today, wasn’t it? But we learned a lot. We learned the three steps to Bible study observation, interpreting, and application. We learned how to apply all that we have been learning so far, and questions to ask to help guide us to our proper interpretation.
All for the sole purpose of coming to personal application of the Word of God.
I hope you enjoyed it. Even though it was a little bit painful. Friend, when you think about our application today, take it to the Lord in prayer would you? I’m sure we will have lots to discuss on that subject as we walk the old paths.
Until next time, brethren. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.